Awards and Appreciation
by What a Rubber Chicken
Summary: It's been awhile since Marinette last saw Luka, much less dated him. Still, that shouldn't stop her from going over to at least say hello, right? It's not like anything will happen, right? (My gift fic from the lukanette-exchange over on Tumblr.)


My gift fic for perditaalottachocolate for the lukanette-exchange over on Tumblr!

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**Awards and Appreciation**

_I need to find someone I can talk to without faking a smile for a while, _Marinette thought as she gazed over the ballroom. Her cheeks hurt. She was used to schmoozing for her job (everyone in fashion was) but tonight… it was so hard to find someone who wasn't… fake.

Maybe a snack would perk her up. She couldn't let anyone think she was anything but ecstatic about being here after all! It would insult the committee who'd recognized her with an award for her designs. _Poised and happy,_ she reminded herself as she scanned her surroundings for the hors d'oeuvres table. _Poised and happy and slightly starving—there! The buffet table!_

_Oh._

_Oh_. She should've known _he'd_ be here. Scratch that, she _had_ known he'd be here! Whenever she thought of arts and music in Paris, a list of names popped into her head, and _his_ name was always at the top of her list! _Why_ hadn't that little detail clicked in her mind? Le Grand Paris Hotel had gone all out for the Artistic Achievements Awards ceremony being held tonight, but all the splendor around her paled in comparison to one man standing over by the punchbowl.

A suit and tie that complemented his pale skin and blue-tipped hair; perfectly styled to complement the lines of his body type, eyes alight with kindness and joy… _He looks amazing,_ she couldn't help thinking, even as she shook any hopeful thoughts out of her head. Luka had always preferred the laid-back rocker look, but when he decided to clean up… that boy cleaned up _nice_.

No. _No_. She'd had her chance. She'd had _multiple_ chances. And she'd screwed them all up! He had a life now, a life that didn't involve her, and he looked as happy and content as anyone could be!

So, no.

Just no.

She wouldn't mess this up for him again!

No.

_No!_

… but just talking to him for a moment wouldn't hurt, right?

She half-wanted to beat some sense into her own head as her treacherous feet carried her over to where he was talking to some old friends. He was smiling, _laughing_ at something his companion had said, and just seeing him look so happy—so free—made her insides feel warm and relaxed.

_I'm glad he's happy_, she thought. _He deserves to be happy._

_Please let him be happy to see me._

Going from "dating" to "just friends" was always tricky. Not everyone wanted to be friends with their ex. And they certainly hadn't met up a whole lot since then…_Why was that, again?_ She'd always had so much creativity flowing through her whenever she'd hung out with the band!

She waited until he'd finished his current conversation before stepping closer.

"Hi, Luka," she said softly.

She'd kept her voice low, so she didn't expect him to whirl around immediately, his face breaking into a delighted smile.

"Marinette!" he exclaimed, scooping her up in a quick-but-tight hug. "I didn't expect to see—wow, you look amazing!" he added, giving her a once-over that had heat flooding her cheeks.

"Oh, this old thing?"

Luka snorted in laughter. "As if _Marinette Dupain-Cheng_ would wear just any 'old thing' to an _awards ceremony_," he scoffed. "How long did it take you to make that?" He asked, gesturing to her gown. Marinette giggled. He knew her too well.

"Only most of the week," she admitted, twirling a bit to let all the twinkling details glint in the light. Form-fitting, but still modest, the dark blue of the dress matched the highlights in her hair perfectly, and she'd added crystals into the fabric itself, designed to look like constellations, but only if you looked closely. Otherwise, they simply looked like extra sparkles. It had honestly turned out better than she'd anticipated. Especially paired with the crescent moon pendent around her neck. "I've gotten a lot better at managing my time."

"Well, it looks… _stellar_," he said, pondering a bit. Even now, it seemed words were sometimes hard for him.

She laughed again. "Thanks," she said. "And you look great too!" She quickly added, gesturing to his suit.

"Ehh," he said, tugging on his collar. "It's some Italian designer—Whose name I honestly can _not_ pronounce. Or remember."

"I won't tell a soul," Marinette promised, winking. His face lit up for a moment, before he shook himself out of it.

"Sooo, I hear a congratulations are in order?" he said, looking at her expectantly.

She instantly knew what he was talking about. All the fashion blogs and tabloids were going crazy over the fact that Adrien Agreste had recently announced his engagement.

"Ahh, no," she said. Luka's smile fell and he cocked his head at her, confused. "Adrien—that secret girlfriend he has—it's not me."

"But weren't you two seen together just last week?"

"Yep," she said, laughing. "We're still friends, and he occasionally models clothes for me, but we haven't been together for years now. We did lunch that day to throw off the press so he could propose to her in private later. Don't worry. She's sassy, and sweet, and just perfect for him."

_Only the best for her kitty, after all!_

"Oh. Oh… well, good," Luka said, rubbing the back of his neck in the awkwardness that followed. "And… are _you_… seeing anyone?"

"Nope," Marinette said easily. "I kept myself available so the press would be fooled and Adrien could date in peace. He gets so nervous when they swarm him like that; I didn't want him to ruin his chances. And I got some free advertising out of it, too," she added, giving him a wink. "What about you?" she asked.

"Huh? Me?" Luka looked startled.

"Yeah. Are you seeing anyone?"

"Oh. No. No, I'm not."

"What about that crazed fan I heard about?" she teased.

Luka groaned. "Ugh, don't even get me started," he said, rubbing his face. "It's like Vincent Asa and XY got together and had a demon baby!"

Marinette burst out laughing. _Oh, the imagery of __**that**__!_

"Would you… would you like to dance?" he asked, stumbling over his words in an effort to get them out quickly.

Marinette blinked. "Sure."

There weren't many people dancing; this event was more for socializing and making good connections, but a band had been playing softly in the corner the whole night, so it was easy for her to let him lead her onto the dance floor. She felt butterflies in her stomach as he took her hands and placed them around his neck—_why was she so nervous? They'd dated before—for close to a year! A little dance should be nothing!_

But the feel of his hands on her waist—warm, sure, steady—she had to force herself to breathe normally.

_Oh wow, he smells good._

_Ok, Marinette! Focus!_ she told herself. _Time for small talk! Idle chit-chat! Think of something!_

But it was so easy to just relax in Luka's arms. Knowing she was safe. Protected. _Loved_. She didn't even realize she'd laid her head on his shoulder until she felt him hum contentedly. She quickly pulled back, feeling her face heat up again.

"Sorry," she said.

"I don't mind," he assured her, looking calm and so sincere. It was hard to ignore the butterflies doing flip-flops in her belly.

"Sooo—" _Ugh, she needed to think of something to talk about! What did they use to talk about when they danced?! _Marinette blinked as she tried to think back. _Wait_…

"Luka, is this our first dance?"

He hummed. "You know, I think it is," he admitted.

"_How_ is _THIS_ our first dance?!" she asked incredulously. They'd dated for _months_ before!

"I think it's because, when we went out before, I was usually in the band," he laughed.

Marinette banged her head on his shoulder in frustration. "I am so sorry," she groaned. "I was a terrible girlfriend, only going out when you had a gig!"

"Hey, I _like_ it when I have gigs!" he retorted, grinning at her. "Besides, we did other stuff together, and any moment I got with you was a treasure."

_How was he so smooth all the time?!_ Marinette could feel her heart melt at his sweet words.

"Still," she said, standing on her tip-toes to give him a quick peck on the cheek, "you were far too good for me."

"Isn't that decision up to me?" he said, rolling his eyes at her. "And, for the record, I would've happily dated you for the rest of my life."

Marinette blinked at the same Luka seemed to realize what he'd just said.

"I mean—um… that's—well, that is—"

She smiled and put her hand on his shoulder to calm him down. (The poor boy was as red as her Ladybug costume!) "It's okay, Luka," she said. "I'm a stammering mess when I talk to the one I love too. I mean—" her eyes widened, "not that I—or you—I mean, I do! But, well—I'm just not—"

She saw Luka covering his mouth with his hand, barely holding back his laughter, and decided to shut her mouth before she needed to add in another foot.

"Some pair we are, huh?" she finally giggled.

"Eh, at least our children will be cute," Luka shrugged. Then he stopped, closed his eyes, and facepalmed.

"I did NOT just say that out loud."

To Marinette's surprise, he let her go and stepped back, making a little thumbing motion on his wrist that she instantly recognized.

_Second chance._

She laughed again. "Sorry, no take-backs!" she teased, grabbing his hand. "Now I'm glad I never let you _keep_ that Mira—" she froze again when Luka's eyes shot open.

_OOPS. _She shouldn't even know about that move, much less about him having a—

"—Mira—mirror?" she tried to finish lamely, but his eyes were already darting across her face and to her hair. She felt herself tremble when he cupped her cheek and gently turned her head so he could see her ears.

"Luka…" she began shakily.

"You never let me buy you earrings," he murmured, staring at her in wonder. "Not once."

"Luka, please…."

"Well, I'm calling it," he suddenly boomed out. "We're both stuttering and can't think straight—somebody has spiked the punch! Time to go home, honey!"

With that, he took her elbow and delicately started guiding her towards the door. His touch was gentle enough that she didn't feel threatened, and besides, she was sure that if she wanted to pull away, he would let her go in a heartbeat. Sure enough, before they'd made it to coat-check, his head dipped towards her again.

"Did you have anyone else you wanted to talk to?" he whispered.

"Not really," she muttered back. Honestly, she'd probably been done with this party an hour ago.

"Do you have anywhere you need to go?" he pressed.

"No," she said, catching the mischievous glint in his eye as he held open her coat for her. "What are you planning, Luka Couffaine?"

"Maybe a moonlit walk by the Seine before you kill me for figuring out your ultimate secret?"

Marinette had to stifle her laughter until they got out the door. "I'm not going to kill you, you overdramatic dork!" she cried.

"Really?" he said, also grinning at his bad joke. "'Cause this seems like it's kinda important and all…."

"It _is_," she confirmed, and then nudged his side. "But I trust you."

She caught the soft look he gave her and had to look away. Her heart was pounding, and not just from her inadvertent reveal. She hadn't been kidding; she really did trust him, even with something like this. And that was terrifying.

So why wasn't she terrified?

Instead, she felt… giddy. Relieved. Happy, even. Walking with Luka, she felt as relaxed as ever_. When had they started holding hands? Did it matter? She didn't really want to stop…._

"So, I take it you've got a way to erase all my memories or something?" Luka finally asked, swinging their hands lightheartedly.

"Oh, something like that," she agreed playfully. She didn't, and she was pretty sure he'd guessed that, but she was willing to play along with whatever scenario his romantic heart had come up with for now.

"Well then, my lady, a token of my thanks," he said, pulling her to a stop. "To remember me by." Her heart beat faster when he pulled her close, and she allowed her eyes to flutter shut as he dipped his head to claim her lips.

She expected something quick and simple. Instead, his mouth moved slow and sinuously against her own; his hand coming up to cup her cheek again as he deepened the kiss. Fire roared to life in her veins. She found herself gasping and reaching up to grab Luka and steady herself against him when her own legs went limp.

He caught her expertly, of course, and she was treated to those gorgeous blue eyes shining in the starlight.

"What—what was that for?" she asked breathlessly.

"My thanks," Luka replied, inclining his head to her. "For believing in me, even before I did."

Marinette scoffed. "You don't need to thank me for that! You _should_ believe in yourself, you're one of the best people I know! Heck, even your akuma—"

Luka silenced her with another kiss. Marinette blinked up at him with wide eyes.

"You know what, you're right," she said. "You should definitely thank me again…"

He did. Again and again.


End file.
